More Than Christmas - Holly Shrubs In the Landscape

When you say "holly," the first thing that comes to many people's minds is Christmas, dark green prickly leaves and bright red berries adorning mantelpieces and wreaths. But there's more to the holly shrub than that. 

In fact, not all holly shrubs are recognizable as holly; certainly they look nothing like the Christmas hollies we're familiar with. Yaupon hollies, for example, have no berries and tiny leaves without prickles. Some holly shrubs have no berries; others have berries, but no prickles on the leaves. Some holly shrubs have yellow or light green leaves, rather than the typical dark green, glossy leaves. Occasionally you can even find a holly with variegated leaves. 

Not only that, but holly shrubs have more purposes than sitting on mantels looking pretty at Christmastime. Because many varieties of holly shrubs thrive in moderate to deep shade, they're invaluable as landscape fixtures or hedges in shady areas. Plus, their ability to survive in poor soils makes them useful for "problem" areas, where it's difficult to get other things to grow. 

More so than other holly shrubs, yaupon hollies are popular in garden sculpture and topiaries. Because of their small leaves and tight branches, they prune easily into various shapes and forms. And, unlike boxwood, another popular pruning shrub, they're nearly impossible to kill. And holly shrubs are one of the best evergreens for hedges because they can be sheared rather than pruned, if you prefer. 

Like any plant, just because it can live in poor soil doesn't mean it will thrive or grow quickly. Adding some fertilization to the ground can help jumpstart growth in sluggish holly shrubs. Giving it enough water can also help. If your holly shrub seems to be growing exceptionally slowly (check to see how many inches per year your holly variety is supposed to grow; less than half that number is exceptionally slow), you may want to try adding a little fertilizer and giving it a good, deep, soaking drink of water once a week. Be careful not to overwater or overfertilize; too much love will kill a holly shrub faster than too little. 

Hollies come in many different varieties to suit almost any kind of landscape. And, of course, when Christmas-time rolls around, it's always nice to have a few sprigs of your own, home-grown holly to add to your wreath or mantelpiece!